Chapter 784: Chapter 5: Severed Arm! Joining the Cabinet and Receiving Official Rank After dealing with Chi Chengyu, former Inspector of Gan Province, Su Xuesong stood out voluntarily, and said sorrowfully: “I have governed a region for Your Majesty and bore the responsibility of an Inspector, yet there are so many corrupt officials in Gan Province. I cannot shirk my responsibility. I am old and muddle-headed now, and I request to resign and return to my hometown!” He voluntarily chose to resign. In fact, with the situation as it is now, even if he returned as the Inspector, he couldn’t maintain his position in Gan Province. Having offended so many people, he needed to give the Red Dust Pavilion an explanation, so the Emperor couldn’t possibly allow him to continue as an official. Su Xuesong understood this point as well, so he took the initiative to resign, sparing the Emperor any difficulty, and leaving a bit of grace between ruler and minister. Thus, he chose to leave with dignity, rather than having the Emperor make it ‘dignified’ for him. Indeed, the Emperor’s gaze towards him softened: “Su Qing, though you bear some responsibility for ineffective supervision, over the years, you have served me well in managing Gan Province, which is commendable. I hereby confer upon you the title of Marquis of Huaiping and grant you a thousand taels of gold, allowing your resignation and return to your hometown.” Normally, it’s customary for a governor-like Su Xuesong resigning to be given a title. But Su Xuesong chose to ‘overturn the table’ this time, breaking many rules and offending numerous people, essentially slaying a thousand enemies at a cost of twelve hundred to himself. Being granted a title and allowed to resign can be seen as the Emperor’s great benevolence. “The old minister, thanks Your Majesty for your graciousness!” In the Great Hall, Su Xuesong bowed and saluted, unable to hold back his tears. After Su Xuesong stepped down, Lou Hongtao continued reporting the second matter: “Last month, Marquis Jing’an, Li Fei, was ambushed by assassins. Ultimately, a group of Western spies was captured, revealing some were clandestinely trading Martial Arts Secret Manuals with the Westerners. I was ordered to investigate this case…” Today, the second matter he was to report was the Western espionage case reported by Li Fei. This case has now reached a conclusion: The covert force trading Martial Arts Secret Manuals with the Deni Country is the Zhao Family of Qingli Prefecture in Feng Province. This is a newly risen prestigious family of the last decade or so, and the Clan Leader of the family is now the Garrison Commander of Qingli Prefecture, the highest official in the area. But the ancestral residence of the ‘Canglin Lu Family’ is right in Qingli Prefecture, making this place essentially the Lu Family’s ‘back garden’. In the recent Blue Patrol Pavilion vote, Qingli Prefecture cast all 28 votes for the Lu Family’s Tributor! Therefore, to say the Zhao Family trading secretly with the Deni Country has no involvement from the Lu Family, none of the ministers in the Great Hall would believe it. But the results from the Monitoring Pavilion’s investigation showed exactly that. The Lu Family remained untouched in this case, with no involvement whatsoever! In the ranks, Li Fei listened calmly to Lou Hongtao’s account. He had anticipated this outcome. A Gate Valve like the Canglin Lu Family, with a legacy spanning over five hundred years, certainly wouldn’t have simple means of self-preservation, would they? If they were so easily toppled, how could they have endured longer than the Great Lan Dynasty? This case alone shows that the Zhao Family in Qingli Prefecture was deliberately supported by the Lu Family as a ‘glove’ specifically for trading with Western Countries. The profits went to the Lu Family; should any trouble arise and the court investigates, they can only trace it back to the Zhao Family. A Gate Valve like the Lu Family certainly doesn’t lack Death Soldiers; there are always people ready to take the blame for them. Of course, upper-level games are not about right or wrong, but only about interests. Even He Jian understands this truth, and Li Fei naturally sees it more clearly. If the court truly wanted to take action against the Lu Family, a mere Zhao Family wouldn’t be able to ‘block the blade’. Thus, the investigation results indicate that letting the Lu Family continue to exist peacefully offers benefits far greater than dealing with them. After hearing Lou Hongtao’s report, the Emperor on the Dragon Chair let out a cold snort. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net In the Great Hall, everyone’s hearts chilled as if a thunderous explosion echoed deep within their souls! “Secretly colluding with Western Countries, illicitly selling Martial Arts Secret Manuals, including even methods of Top-level Dao Foundation inheritance, is truly detestable!” The Emperor angrily declared, “Transfer not to the Judicial Pavilion, Qingli Prefecture’s Zhao Family, execute them all without exception!” The Emperor’s wrath brings death to millions. With a single sentence from the one on the Dragon Chair, heads would roll in Qingli Prefecture miles away! The entire city’s civil and military officials remained silent, none dared to object. Thus, the fate of the Zhao Family was sealed. Since the Emperor’s ascendancy, families being executed in full can be counted on one hand, and now another is added. The Family Head of the Zhao Family is the Garrison Commander of Qingli Prefecture, involving many officials. Now that the Zhao Family faces full execution, the officialdom of Qingli Prefecture is bound to undergo a massive purge! Qingli Prefecture is the Lu Family’s ‘back garden’, and this result is akin to the Lu Family losing an arm! In the ranks, Li Fei remained expressionless. He understood that this outcome was not only a warning to everyone else but also a ‘justification’ for him. The Emperor doesn’t need to justify himself to a minister, so this can be seen as favor to Li Fei. And Li Fei also discerned another layer of meaning from it: this matter ends here. Lu Family plotted against Li Fei, so the Emperor cuts off its ‘arm’ as an explanation for Li Fei. If he were to proceed further, it would mean Li Fei, as a minister, was ungrateful. In the Great Hall, Li Fei’s name was suddenly called. Li Fei stepped out from the ranks and saluted to the Emperor on the Red Steps: The Emperor looked at him: “I command you to investigate the Heavenly Altar assassination case, is there a result now?” Li Fei calmly produced the dossier given to him by He Jian: “With the assistance of First-class Investigator He Jian from the Monitoring Pavilion, I have finally clarified this case…” He briefly recounted the contents of the dossier, emphasizing He Jian’s role in it. After he finished speaking, Feng Cheng stepped down from the Red Steps, accepted the dossier from his hands, and presented it back to the Emperor.